Authorities in Las Vegas report that a mother tragically ended the life of her young daughter before taking her own in a hotel room at the Rio Hotel & Casino.
During a press briefing on Monday, Lt. Robert Price from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s homicide unit revealed that officers responded to a call at the casino around 10:45 a.m. on Sunday. The call was a welfare check for the mother and her child.
For about 15 to 20 minutes, officers attempted to make contact by knocking and calling out to those inside the room. After informing hotel security, the initial response team left the scene.
Subsequently, hotel security was contacted again by family and friends, urging them to continue efforts to find the mother and daughter.
This incident took place at the prominent Rio Hotel & Casino, as seen in a photograph showcasing its exterior and the nearby landscape dated November 11, 2025. (Image courtesy of Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service Via Getty Images)
Around 2:30 p.m., security re-entered the room and discovered both the mother and daughter deceased.
Price said the mother, believed to be in her mid-30s, and her pre-teen daughter had traveled to Las Vegas for a dance or cheer competition.
“The mother shot her daughter and then shot herself,” said Price. “This is a sad and tragic incident and our hearts go out to the family.”
The Las Vegas police department provided an update on an apparent murder-suicide at the Rio Hotel and Casino. (KTNV)
The homicide lieutenant stressed that the investigation remains ongoing, but told reporters a note was left behind. He declined to discuss its contents and said family members and the cheer teams had been notified.
Fox 13 Salt Lake City reported that LVMPD officials were unable to confirm whether the deaths are connected to a missing mother and daughter from Utah, identified as Tawnia McGeehan and Addi Smith. LVMPD did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Utah Xtreme Cheer, which had circulated information earlier in the day about the pair being missing, later posted on Facebook, “Addi has passed away.”
A mother and a daughter were found dead in a Las Vegas hotel in an apparent murder-suicide on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Tawnia Hope McGeehan)
“We are completely heartbroken. No words do the situation justice. She was so beyond loved, and she will always be a part of the UXC family,” the group wrote. “Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers and continue to send them love as they navigate this unimaginable loss.”
